I need some advice. I’m hiring movers a long distance move and I have a very expensive handbag collection. I’m trying to decide the best way to get my bags to the destination. Of course, when I went to UPS to inquire, they told me not to put them on a moving truck. But the guy I talked to at the moving company said putting them on the truck would be safest. He said you can buy extra insurance for the items, it makes me nervous because I’ve heard of just regular items going missing from moving trucks. I am asking for advice and or recommendations from anyone who has ever moved with high-value items. Thanks!

We hired Safeway Moving Inc (Florida-based) to move us from Los Angeles to Alexandria, VA. They picked up our things on August 25. On September 25, a crew showed up with only part of our shipment, assembled nothing, left their packing materials all over our home, and left behind another customer’s item. They promised to come back. They never did.

More than 20 tagged items are still missing, including my wedding dress, all of my clothes, family heirlooms, and a box of books. Over the next few weeks, the company told us our things were:

• On a truck to Niagara Falls
• On a truck to New York
• Maybe on a truck to Maine
• In their warehouse, after telling us they had video of our items leaving it

None of it was ever confirmed. Their head of dispatch told us the driver took a route she couldn’t explain and that the truck’s tracker wasn’t working. Their website advertises barcode scanning and real-time tracking of every item. At our delivery, nothing was scanned.

When I first reported the missing items, I was told I didn’t know what I was talking about, called “hysterical” and “hun,” and falsely accused of calling a driver at 5 AM.

In writing, they admitted our items were in their custody and that they can’t find them.

If you’re moving soon: check your mover’s FMCSA complaint history, get full-value protection in writing, and photograph everything before it goes on the truck.

Full story: https://www.tiktok.com/@fanaccformycat/video/7697304978045586701

Im moving from az to wi. Step 1 of my move is, or was, to put most of my stuff in a uhaul box and have them drop it off at my place in wi.

But apparently they wont just drop it off, I have to pay an extra $400 to have someone unload it on site?

Wtaf? Has anyone experienced this before? Is this something I can negotiate?

Not only do I not want strangers touching my stuff, I wont be there to watch.

Is my only option to store the box at their place until I get there?

Thanks

Hey everyone, I want my boxes to be shipped from Buffalo to LR. I have 3 large boxes and none of them are labelled, I need someone to label and do a pickup and a delivery. Any suggestions?

I would love to move somewhere coastal with my family preferably west coast, but I worry about affording the cost of living with it being so much higher than the Midwest.

We are moving from White Plains, NY to St Petersburg Florida and we don’t know what the best and cheapest method would be to move. We originally thought renting a Uhaul and driving it there would be the cheapest but we just looked and for the truck alone NOT including gas, tolls and factoring hotel stays and food would be $3,000. We are coming from a 1 bed / Bath 760 sq ft apartment. We have a couch, a queen bed and a computer tower and tons of boxes. But our major furniture is the couch and bed

We thought it would be significantly cheaper to rent a U-haul and drive it. But we are now considering maybe using moving company? I don’t know. There is also U haul Boxes or something. Can someone share what worked for them or what they did?

My (44f) Husband (46M) have an opportunity to move to MI to be closer to my family. We have 3 daughters: 17F, 15F and 10F. We're currently in OR and we have a good life here.

We've been living by my husband's family (both in CA and OR) for over 20 years. I never thought I'd want to move back to MI, but as I'm getting older, I am realizing that I miss them and would love to make the most of the time I have left with my parents.

My husband reluctantly agreed to move, but he still doesn't want to go (not really), but he is excited for a new position in his company and a slight pay raise plus bigger bonuses. He hates his current position.

My daughters are crying all the time and don't want to move next summer. I'm torn. Do I wait 3 more years for my now freshman daughter to finish high school? My youngest would be starting high school in MI if we move to MI in 2030.

I don't want to precipitate a major crisis in our little family. They're all telling me that I'm selfish.

I'm really torn about this! Please advise!

We paid extra to have movers pack our house up before moving us to another state. We asked the movers to put some of our small appliances into the boxes we had saved when we purchased the appliances. Even though we totally gave them our coffee maker box, I'm finding that parts of the coffee maker have been distributed among at least three other regular moving boxes, with only the main part of the coffee maker in its original box.

Did they do this on purpose? Out of spite? Do packers hate using original small appliance boxes?

I had a sudden change in life and need to move. I'm looking for the most cost effective way to make this move.

I am inclined to just rent a truck and do it myself but is there a better way?

hi reddit please help me :)

my lease is up at the end of the year (I have currently lived in this studio for 2 years) and I don't have a huge budget for a new place, but I am ready/need to move. Things on my "needs" list that I do not currently have are only an oven and a closet. it would be awesome to also have a bathtub and a balcony! Ideally I would love to have a 1 bed, but it's not of the upmost importance to me at this time.

Most 1 beds in my area are $1300 and most studios run $1100. The listings I see include w/s/g but not electricity or wifi. My current studio is $1150 and doesn't have any of the aforementioned wants/needs, but it does include all utilities including electricity and wifi. I hate the area I am currently in and am extremely depressed and ready for a change. I feel like it's worth it to pay the extra ~$100 + electricity to have more space and get exactly what I want so I can feel at ease, but my anxious brain is really worried about my budget and keeps telling me that it is a mistake.

I have toured and gotten approved for 2 different apartments. The first one gave me the wrong unit on the application so I didn't sign the lease, and the second one's deposit was WAY out of budget (im talking $2k+). I feel like I can't make a decision on where to live because roadblocks just keep popping up and I am hoping that the "perfect place" will fall into my lap.

What do you think reddit? Do you think I have high standards or I just can't make a decision?

Hi all!! Looking for some insight moving from FL to WI at the beginning of January 2027 to close the gap of my LDR and be with my fiancé. I have to ship my stuff though and I think I have more than would make sense to go through local UPS/postal?

I have a walking pad, lamp that I can disassemble that's about 5 feet tall, clothes probably four or five boxes worth shoes etc, and some picture frames, knickknacks and photographs.

No furniture, no beds, dressers, desks, etc. I called Mayflower movers and I have to get a quote from them, but I'm wondering if anybody has some advice i've already done the hard stuff like leasing an apartment and I'm in the process of finding a job gonna sell my car in FL get a new car up there so now I have to worry about shipping my stuff woo hoo!

Thanks! 🤗

Curious how people decide. Did you get 2 quotes? 5? Just go with the first one that felt right?

And did the cheapest one end up being the best deal?

I hired a moving company and paid the security deposit through Zelle rather than by credit card. My scheduled pickup is in less than 36 hours, and the company has stopped responding to my calls and messages. What should I do in this situation, and what options do I have to recover my deposit? I already booked my flights and can't cancel

Hi all - doing my first international move from NYC to London and I asked for a few quotes already, but would like to know if there are any other recommendations.

I am only shipping one bedroom. Will probably be only 20 boxes, if that. I do have a large 47x59in mirror that I am debating just selling instead of spending a lot of money to protect it and risk it breaking on the move.

TL;DR - What's a good company for an international move for less than 20 boxes?

Hi! I'm from Phoenix, AZ, and I'm looking for a big change in the next few years.

I'm tired of the heat, busy city, and would love to be closer to family. I visit yearly for a few weeks (Yes, I am aware visiting and living here is a big difference) and I yearn for the state as soon as I leave.

I'm looking for smaller towns, Albert Lea or smaller. Iowa is also a contender, Lake Mills, Northwood, or Scarville. I know a good number of people in the general area, old family friends and family spread out.

My only concern would be the job market. My dream is to work at an antique store, but I doubt many make enough to have numerous employees. Other than that, I'm into hospitality and serving and I'm real popular with older folks.

Wouldn't move right away, need to save some money, but the houses I've peeked at around Northwood are significantly cheaper than anything I could get in the city.

*Not planning on having children so schools aren't a problem.

As the title states, my partner and I are moving from Tucson to Eugene. We’re planning on moving in March, but we’re having a hard time planning out the best way to do it. So far thinking that I drive my car with some items, and he drives his, but his pulls a small, u-haul trailer to fit things like the bedframe, mattress, tv, etc. The big things we’d prefer not to replace. Would that be cost effective? How have some of you moved? It’s a little over 1,300 miles so two trips aren’t ideal.

Also, what is the best timeline to do things? Set up a job first? a home first? how soon should these things be set up?

sorry for all the questions, I (21F) have only moved within state and nothing exceeding a 2hr drive, and my partner has never moved.

Threads about delivery day price changes always end with "should have gotten a binding estimate." What actually happens if you have one and they try to charge more anyway. Legal recourse, or is the document just paper.

Hey all! So to preface, I am moving due to my partner getting a new job, and this new job comes with a moving package that sent us movers to our house. The movers packed up a jar that had lighters inside of it without my knowledge & I cannot find the box it’s in for the life of me. I know lighters are not legally allowed to be moved but is this a safety issue? Are the lighters going to be fine or will there be a disaster?

I’m coming to this group looking for some suggestions. I live in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and currently the majority of my property that I need to retrieve is located in Lackawanna County about 80 to 90 miles away. I need a vehicle, a regular cargo van would do, to drive up there and pick it up and bring it back in the same day.

The Challenger face, is that U-Haul‘s mileage charge might make it a bit Expensive, and my only actual no-ndebit credit card is a basic secured card with $100 limit

Does anyone have any alternatives that they could suggest for how I could get a vehicle for the same day round-trip like the one I’ve described?

i have a good chunk of money i’ve received from an accident. the state of the us is so bad and i feel it’s necessary to leave based on my personal circumstances. i’m looking for a quick, simple as possible move to a country where i can at least get around only knowing the english language. if anyone has experience with a move like this, info would be greatly appreciated. i seek to prioritize a better government, better healthcare and lgbt safety.

My spouse and I have accumulated a bunch of books over the years, both from when we first got together and throughout our relationship. We’re thinking about moving sometime in the next year, and I’ve started mentally preparing for the absolute nightmare that is packing up our house. 😂

One thing I’m stuck on is our book collection. It’s not nearly big enough to qualify as a library, but somehow it’s still enough books to be a giant pain in the rear to pack and move. We want to keep them, but I’m curious how other people handle moving books. Any must-have supplies, packing tricks, or ways to make the process less miserable?

I’d also love any other moving tips! We’re a growing family with a toddler, so life is already chaotic enough. I’m trying to project-manage this whole moving process now vs wait until the last minute and go crazy.

Give me all your wisdom, especially the tips you wish you’d known before your last move!

Hello! Curious if folks suggest using boxes, black/yellow totes or other things to pack up an apartment?

Moving company I am using is providing some garment boxes, and picture boxes and box my TV for free, but I am struggling to determine what/how I should pack everything otherwise.

Most of it will be going in storage for a bit of time (3-ish months)

First time moving, sorry if this is a dumb question, couldn't find a reassuring answer from my research. I'm moving locally (<1 hour away) and only having them take the big things (couches, floor length mirror, mini fridge, dining table). I was reading the contract and it seems they're only responsible up to $0.60/lb. Besides the fact that $0.60*weight of each item I'm moving is much less than I paid, I'm really concerned with some items that can't be replaced (even if I got the full value paid) because they are no longer made, etc.

Besides reputation loss (which I understand can cause a hit, but less impactful for a big company), what is stopping a mover from being pretty much careless? Like if they're moving my couch, and they do the basic furniture blanket wrap that's stated in the contract, what happens if it slips off and the couch rubs against something that causes irreversible damage or staining? Or placing heavier items on top of the couch in the moving truck, and the frame/cushions being stained/deformed? Or another example - when moving my glass table top (wrapped in the extended protection), just plopping it in the truck instead of carefully placing it? I'd like to think common sense stops them, but you never know who you're going to get. And if there's limited financial accountability for causing those damages, then what's the incentive to be careful?

Maybe I'm overthinker who reads too deeply into the legal words, but I just don't want to be SOL. I'd move a lot of the stuff myself to ensure its protected, but I'm currently injured from a car accident, so I have to outsource for help. Even if I get full-liability insurance, again I'm concerned about items that can't be replaced even more than the full payout, so it doesn't fully solve my full issue.

Does anyone have any other suggestions or recommendations for protecting my stuff, or words that will leave me with more peace of mind?

Thank you!